


A Trip to the Lakes

by illgetmyspade



Category: Vampyr (Video Game)
Genre: Camping, Holidays, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:08:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27253201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illgetmyspade/pseuds/illgetmyspade
Summary: Dr Reid works too hard and Geoffrey is forced to take him on a camping holiday.
Relationships: Geoffrey McCullum/Jonathan Reid
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (re-up of a story I still haven't finished...)

Geoffrey McCullum was very surprised, to say the least, when nurse Gwyneth Branagan from the Pembroke hospital demanded to speak to him. He was less surprised to find she wanted to talk about the “poor Dr Reid.”

“I really don’t know what to do,” she said, desperately wringing her hands. “If he continues like that, he’ll work himself to his death,” she cried.

Geoffrey had the presence of mind to refrain from commenting on just how dead he thought the good doctor was, unsure whether the nurse was even aware of “his condition.” He simply nodded when the nurse went on about Reid’s unnatural pallor, his cold hands and the fact that he never even ate anything.

“It’s as if he feels personally responsible for the well-being of everybody,” Nurse Branagan said, sounding as worried as disapproving. “He used to work nightshifts only, but in the past days he also carried out a few operations during the dayshift, and even Dr Ackroyd said—”

“During the dayshift?” Geoffrey’s eyes narrowed.

“Well, early morning, when he wouldn’t finish at night,” the nurse corrected herself. “When I took over the patient, Dr Reid looked as if he was going to faint of exhaustion right there and then,” she said in confidentially low voice, as if Reid could somehow hear her if she spoke in a normal tone. “He hasn’t been the same since first his friend died, that Lady Ashbury, and then his mother, too. I heard he has no family now,” she continued, whispering dramatically.

“And what am I to do about this?” Geoffrey huffed. He wished the nurse would come to the point.

“He needs a few days away from the hospital, away from work – away from London. You ought to take him somewhere.”

“What?!” Geoffrey gave her an incredulous look. “You want me to take Reid on a holiday, is that it?” He didn’t know whether to laugh or just throw the nurse out of his office for such a preposterous suggestion.

“Yes.”

McCullum was just about to protest when he noticed how the nurse’s expression and stance changed, and he suddenly understood why even McIntyre, a giant of a man and a hardened soldier, was careful to avoid her disapproval whenever he had to get something from the Pembroke. Despite her slight stature and her sunken, grey face, she somehow managed to look intimidating.

“I am to be Reid’s fu—his nanny?!”

“No, of course not.” She shook her head, giving the Irishman an annoyed look as if _he_ was the one who had apparently lost their mind. “But we need Dr Reid. And, considering how often your men frequent the Pembroke, you do, too, I think.”

“And why me?” McCullum snapped, trying to sound aggressive.

“You may find this hard to believe, Mr McCullum, but you’re the only one he actually listens to.”

Geoffrey couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I do indeed find that hard to believe.”

“Well, he does,” the nurse repeated, almost truculently. “And he always speaks very highly of you,” she said, though it was a mystery to her why someone like Dr Reid would bother with the leader of Priwen in the first place. “So, will you do it?” It sounded like an order rather than a question.

“I’ll think about it,” Geoffrey sighed, as grumpily as he managed, and all but threw the nurse out of his office.

* * *

When the Irishman drove up to the Pembroke a few nights later, he was still annoyed at having agreed to this ridiculous plan. As he shut off the engine of his motorcycle, he silently cursed not only Nurse Branagan, but Captain Richardson, his second in command, who had told him a holiday would surely also do him good, as well.

He just hoped that Reid would make good on his promise and show up. He knew it wouldn’t take much to make him turn right back to Priwen and forget about it all, though now that he was actually here, he had to admit that he was looking forward to getting away from London for a few days. He checked the baggage on the back of the motorcycle once more, then he saw a dark figure approach him.

“Reid,” he said, nodding awkwardly. The doctor wasn’t in his usual outfit, but wore hobnailed lace-ups, rough dark trousers and heavy jacket instead of his fancy coat and had a duffel bad slung over his shoulder. Geoffrey thought he looked roguishly elegant and unfairly handsome, though he quickly banished that thought from his head.

“McCullum,” the Ekon greeted him sullenly. He obviously didn’t think this was a very good plan either. Then he saw the motorcycle, and his eyes lit up. “That’s an American one, isn’t it? I remember those from France.” He moved towards the vehicle and almost reverently brushed across the lettering on the tank. “Where did you get her from?”

“Won it from a Canadian officer in a game of cards a few months back,” Geoffrey chuckled. “He wanted my swords and wagered this beauty,” he explained, pursing his lips in an amused grin. “We were both drunk, but I’m Irish, so now she’s mine.”

“But you aren’t expecting me to ride on this, right?” Jonathan said, furrowing his brows. “I’m not—"

“No, but your staff is, apparently,” Geoffrey huffed, cutting Jonathan off. “Keep whining about this, and I’m sure to change my mind and then we’ll both have to deal with the wrath of Nurse Branagan. I for one would rather avoid that, so hop in.” He pointed at the sidecar.

“I don’t think—” Jonathan wanted to protest, but the hunter cut him off again.

“Well, I won’t let you drive, Reid, forget it. And I won’t stand here all night arguing over this shite, so get in.” He sounded much more certain than he actually felt, even though he had long made up his mind that he’d rather take that holiday than listen to Richardson bicker about how tired he looked and how much they’d come to depend on Dr Reid.

Jonathan muttered something, but he got in the sidecar anyway. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“Up north. You’ll like it,” Geoffrey said, handing the Ekon a pair of goggles. “Put those one, you don’t want all that dust and dirt in your eyes, leech or not.”

“I’m more worried about you driving,” Jonathan mumbled, but he put them on anyway.

“Is that so?” Geoffrey chuckled as he put on goggles and pulled his scarf up over his mouth. “You better hold on then.”


	2. Chapter 2

It was late afternoon when Geoffrey stopped on a small road and killed the engine. He got off the vehicle with a groan, yawned and stretched and jumped a few times.

“Reid, wake up!” He gently tapped the figure underneath the thick canvas cover he’d put over the Ekon to protect him from the sunlight.

A low grumble answered him. Reid hadn’t been particularly pleased about sitting in the sidecar in full daylight, and when McCullum had presented him with the solution – said tarpaulin – the Ekon had snarled menacingly and shot him an angry look before he reluctantly let the hunter bury him under the heavy cloth. “Are we there yet?” he asked in a muffled voice.

“Soon. I’m just going to fill up on gas and get a few more provisions – up ahead is the last village. You might want to stay hidden for the time being,” the hunter suggested, “unless—”

“I get it, unless I want to burn to a crisp, I know, I know,” Jonathan moaned annoyedly, fed up with the Irishman’s joking about his intolerance to sunlight. “You’re probably planning to murder me in some quiet spot anyway and then dispose of my body, so maybe this would be the lesser evil,” he muttered.

“Quit complaining, Reid,” Geoffrey laughed, “you’ll like the place, I promise.”

Geoffrey mounted the motorcycle again, and after he’d refuelled her and got some more provisions, they left the road and followed a path leading across fields and along hedgerows and ancient stone walls until they reached the edge of a forest. By now the sun had nearly set, though the heat still lingered, and Geoffrey was glad when they reached the cool shade of the trees.

“We’re nearly there,” he told Reid over the noise of the engine. “This last bit will be a bit rough, but I promise it won’t take long, all right?” He was a good driver, no doubt, and he drove more slowly than he might have under different circumstances, but Reid still painfully hit his knees and arms a few times whenever the bike hit a large branch or stone.

Finally, they stopped, the noise of the engine still resonating in their ears.

“We’re there,” Geoffrey announced, dismounting stiffly. “The sun’s set, it’s already dusky, so I’ll remove the cover now, all right?” Jonathan resisted the urge to violently push the tarpaulin away himself, and instead let the hunter do it, slowly enough to make sure he wouldn’t get hurt if the light was still too strong. “Are you all right?” he asked, sounding almost concerned.

Jonathan just nodded, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths. It’s not that he needed them, but he enjoyed the fresh air of the forest and the sweet scent of warm earth and pine needles. He got up, feeling stiffer than he had when he’d awoken in the mass grave a few months ago, but when he looked around, he knew that the arduous trip had been worth it and that the Irishman hadn’t exaggerated.

They stood close to the edge of the forest; before them, the silvery surface of a lake reflected the pink of the evening sky, while, in their back, a cliff rose gently.

“I assumed you’d like some protection from the sun,” Geoffrey said as he pointed to an opening among the boulders that Jonathan hadn’t noticed before. “If I remember correctly, the cave isn’t very deep – it’s already inhabited by your mates though, hope you don’t mind.”

“My… mates??”

“Bats,” Geoffrey explained, grinning mischievously. “Your lot are said to be able to turn into bats, aren’t you? So I figured you’re essentially colleagues.” He half expected Reid to get annoyed at being placed on the same level as bats, and for a second it looked as if the Ekon would indeed feel insulted by it, but then he burst into a howling laughter.

“I was just…” Jonathan began when he’d composed himself a bit, then started giggling, covering his face. “I was just imagining myself as a bat, fluttering round your head like a maniac and annoying the shit out of and your men,” he finally managed to say.

Geoffrey couldn’t help but laugh at the image, too – it was as stupid as it was weirdly delighting to think of the powerful Ekon as a tiny furry beast. “Can you actually do it?” he finally asked. “I mean, turn into a bat?”

Jonathan shrugged. “I guess not… No idea where Stoker got that idea from. Though… I haven’t really tried.” It was an intriguing thought, and he suddenly wondered whether Ekons could actually shape-shift – considering how he could move as smoke it didn’t even seem like such an outlandish idea after all.

“You can disappear in a cloud of smoke,” Geoffrey said, seemingly having followed the same train of thought. “Will you tell me how you do that?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “So you can use that knowledge against me?” He thought for a moment, studying the hunter’s face. “I might,” he finally said, then looked around. “So is this where we are planning to stay?”

McCullum nodded, silently appreciating the fact that Reid had said ‘we.’ “Do you like it?” he asked, suddenly feeling nervous.

“I do, a lot. I guess we should thank Nurse Branagan for coming up with her ridiculous plan, huh?” He didn’t wait for the hunter to reply and instead went into the cave. McCullum had been right – it wasn’t particularly big, and he could sense countless tiny heartbeats towards the rear. For a short moment he felt for a connection to the animals, but there wasn’t any. Maybe it just took practice.

“How do you know this place?” he asked when he went outside again to help Geoffrey unpack.

“I used to come here sometimes… A long time ago. With, hmm, my girlfriend.”

Jonathan felt a tinge of jealousy when he heard that, and he felt the little blood he had rise to his face at the realisation of that feeling.

“It—it didn’t really work out,” Geoffrey added evasively after a second, effectively stilling Jonathan’s uneasy thoughts. “She wasn’t really my type, I guess.”

“What is your type then?” Jonathan bit his tongue, wishing he hadn’t asked and feeling embarrassed about it.

Geoffrey didn’t seem to mind though. “I haven’t had ‘a type’ for years,” he said. “Doesn’t really agree with my line of work, y’know?” He sighed. “What about you? Do you still-- I mean-- That redheaded friend of yours, was she--”

“No,” Jonathan replied before Geoffrey could finish his awkward question. “Lady Ashbury was a friend, nothing more.” He shrugged. “It’s hard to find somebody who enjoys holding a dead body close, I suppose.”

“You’re not dead though, are you?” the Irishman said, somewhat surprised by the Ekon’s honesty.

Jonathan gave him a hollow laugh. “Believe me, McCullum, I am.”

“Now don’t give me that self-pity shite, Reid,” Geoffrey admonished him.

Jonathan shrugged apologetically, but before he could turn around, feeling stupid for having said too much, the hunter put a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re not dead,” Geoffrey said softly, then he began to grin. “A stiff wouldn’t have been so scared to be my passenger on the bike.”

Jonathan couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Ekons are never scared,” he corrected.

“Yeah, right,” Geoffrey rolled his eyes as he carelessly threw his bag at the opening of the cave.


End file.
